Teacher Prep Programs See ‘Encouraging’ Growth, New Federal Data Reveal

During key pandemic years, teacher prep enrollment increased or stabilized in 40 states. Why it’s not enough to curb shortages.

It’s no secret that America’s teaching pool is a fraction of the size it once was 15 years ago, hard hit by the Great Recession and mostly shrinking since. 

But new federal data has given researchers some cause for optimism, suggesting efforts to make teaching more financially viable with strategies such as paying student teachers have helped to move the needle.